Information Systems Development in Nigerian Software Companies: Research Methodology and Assessment from the Healthcare Sector's Perspective

Abstract

AbstractThe requirements for software and information systems for healthcare institutions in Africa differ from those in the industrialised countries in many ways. Local software development, adaptation and organisational implementation is thus highly important. However, very little empirical research has been conducted on the work practice of software engineers and information systems developers in developing countries. In this paper we discuss the methodology for studying the practice of information systems development (ISD) in Nigerian software companies from the healthcare sector's perspective. We argue that such a study must be divided into two parts, one aiming at a “landscape view” using a survey, and the other at “in‐depth portraits” using case studies in different companies. An Activity‐Theoretical research framework is introduced for the latter. The emphasis of the paper is on the theoretical framework and the research methodology, which are proposed for other researchers with similar objectives. However, some main results of the on‐going study in Nigeria are also presented. Finally we discuss first Nigerian software industry's capability to respond to the needs of the country's healthcare institutions, and then the applicability of the proposed research methodology to other contexts.